Scheduled tests for endpoint agents

• US 10,671,520 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2019
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ThousandEyes, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodrigues, Nelson, Alessandri, Santiago, Freitas, Sergio, Oliveira, Ricardo V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liang Che A
• Application Number:
  US16/528,247
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709202, 709223, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

Techniques for scheduled tests for endpoint agents are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system/process/computer program product for providing scheduled tests for endpoint agents includes receiving a test configuration for scheduled tests that includes a set of conditions for dynamically selecting endpoint agents that match the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein a plurality of endpoint agents are deployed to a plurality of endpoint devices; identifying one or more of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the set of conditions in the test configuration; assigning the scheduled tests associated with the test configuration to the matching endpoint agents for execution of the scheduled tests based on the test configuration, wherein test results are based on the scheduled tests executed on each of the matching endpoint agents for monitoring network activity; and receiving uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents, wherein the uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents are processed for generating graphical visualizations and/or alerts of the monitored network activity.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a test configuration for scheduled tests that includes a label for a set of conditions for dynamically selecting endpoint agents that match the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein a plurality of endpoint agents are deployed to a plurality of endpoint devices;

receive a configuration input for setting a maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests;

identify one or more of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration is dynamically associated with the label based on a current network, a geography, an operating system (OS), a set of current state information, and/or other runtime/state information;

assign the scheduled tests associated with the test configuration to the matching endpoint agents for execution of the scheduled tests based on the test configuration, wherein a number of the matching endpoint agents that are assigned the scheduled tests does not exceed the maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests, and wherein test results are based on the scheduled tests executed on each of the matching endpoint agents for monitoring network activity; and

receive uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents, wherein the uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents are processed for generating graphical visualizations and/or alerts of the monitored network activity; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein graphical visualizations of an application delivery state facilitate troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents performs network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

4. The system recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents is controlled by an agent controller.

5. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical visualizations are generated by a web tier.

6. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the scheduled tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices are configurable.

7. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive state information periodically from each of the plurality of endpoint agents.

8. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

deploy a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices.

9. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

deploy a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices; and

collect test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity.

10. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

deploy a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collect test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity; and

generate a graphical visualization of an application delivery state for one or more application delivery layers based on the test results.

11. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive another configuration input for setting a maximum number of tests assigned for a single endpoint agent.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a test configuration for scheduled tests that includes a label for a set of conditions for dynamically selecting endpoint agents that match the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein a plurality of endpoint agents are deployed to a plurality of endpoint devices;

receiving a configuration input for setting a maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests;

identifying one or more of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration is dynamically associated with the label based on a current network, a geography, an operating system (OS), a set of current state information, and/or other runtime/state information;

assigning the scheduled tests associated with the test configuration to the matching endpoint agents for execution of the scheduled tests based on the test configuration, wherein a number of the matching endpoint agents that are assigned the scheduled tests does not exceed the maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests, and wherein test results are based on the scheduled tests executed on each of the matching endpoint agents for monitoring network activity; and

receiving uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents, wherein the uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents are processed for generating graphical visualizations and/or alerts of the monitored network activity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein graphical visualizations of an application delivery state facilitate troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents perform network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents are controlled by an agent controller.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices are configurable.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving another configuration input for setting a maximum number of tests assigned for a single endpoint agent.

18. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a test configuration for scheduled tests that includes a label for a set of conditions for dynamically selecting endpoint agents that match the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein a plurality of endpoint agents are deployed to a plurality of endpoint devices;

receiving a configuration input for setting a maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests;

identifying one or more of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents that match the label for the set of conditions in the test configuration is dynamically associated with the label based on a current network, a geography, an operating system (OS), a set of current state information, and/or other runtime/state information;

assigning the scheduled tests associated with the test configuration to the matching endpoint agents for execution of the scheduled tests based on the test configuration, wherein a number of the matching endpoint agents that are assigned the scheduled tests does not exceed the maximum number of endpoint agents that are to be selected for concurrently performing the scheduled tests, and wherein test results are based on the scheduled tests executed on each of the matching endpoint agents for monitoring network activity; and

receiving uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents, wherein the uploaded results of the scheduled tests executed on the matching endpoint agents are processed for generating graphical visualizations and/or alerts of the monitored network activity.

19. The computer program product recited in claim 18, wherein graphical visualizations of an application delivery state facilitate troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

20. The computer program product recited in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents perform network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

21. The computer program product recited in claim 18, wherein the scheduled tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices are configurable.

22. The computer program product recited in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents is controlled by an agent controller.

23. The computer program product recited in claim 18, further comprising computer instructions for:

receiving another configuration input for setting a maximum number of tests assigned for a single endpoint agent.